Updated Friday, May 16, 2008

New Yorkers Graffiti Caldwell association

By Dianna L. Cagle

BR Assistant Managing Editor

Joining 28 other churches, Graffiti Church sent 11 men from New York City to work with Operation Inasmuch volunteers in Caldwell County.

"It was a wonderful time," said Larry Osborne, North Carolina native and missions director for Graffiti. "I saw the spiritual growth. For some of the guys it was their first time out of the city."

Osborne has been working with Graffiti, also known as East 7th Baptist Church in New York, for 18 months. He coordinates volunteer teams from North Carolina and other states.

The Graffiti Men of God (GMOG) came to North Carolina the Thursday before the April 19 statewide missions blitz. They spent Friday helping widows at four locations in Caldwell Baptist Association by landscaping yards and repairing roofs.

The men stayed at New Life Baptist Church in Lenoir, Osborne's home church.

Saturday the GMOG joined Operation Inasmuch crews within the association. Nearly 500 people volunteered that day.

Fifty-two projects were completed including building ramps, painting, cutting wood for donations, visiting nursing homes, bagging groceries, backyard Bible clubs, etc.

One Graffiti member told Osborne that working with Operation Inasmuch was the biggest blessing he'd ever had.

Graffiti operates off donations, and Osborne said the missions trip for GMOG was done "trusting in God to provide." Four churches - New Life, Poovey's Chapel Baptist Church in Hudson, Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Lenoir, and Peninsula Baptist Church in Mooresville - provided meals.

Inasmuch volunteers also helped provide for the group. They collected $960 before work began April 19 to help offset the cost of the trip.

"The guys from here just bonded with everybody," Osborne said. "They were so thankful to be a part of it."

Osborne said the group of men used to receiving help from outsiders wanted to give something back.

"It meant so much to them," he said. "It's not all about receiving. We reach a point where we start giving back."

Osborne first became acquainted with Graffiti, which is the first Southern Baptist church to be constructed in Manhattan, about four years ago when he helped put in hardwood floors as a volunteer project in New York.

Afterwards he was occupied with disaster relief work in Sri Lanka. But now he is missions director at Graffiti. The church averages 15 teams a year from North Carolina, but Osborne said 22 teams visited last year.

Osborne's wife, Teresa, serves as the children's director at Graffiti helping with after school programs, cleaning projects and Vacation Bible School.

"We've had so many North Carolina teams come to work at Graffiti, they wanted to do something in return," said Teresa Osborne.

N.C. moment

A couple of weeks after the Operation Inasmuch trip, Osborne said the men were still talking about their experience.

"It has really helped them to grow," he said.

One recent Saturday, the church hosted a clothing sale where they sell a trash bag full for $5.

One of the GMOG who had come to North Carolina was helping with the sale when a woman came through with only $1.50. That young man took $5 out of his pocket and paid for the clothes.

"He said he would have never thought to to do this if he had not went on the mission trip," Osborne said. "He said he learned that it is good to give."

Osborne said the way the young man described that instant was to say he "had an N.C. moment."

Osborne said he and the men are eager to come back to North Carolina to participate in missions.

If interested in mission trips to Graffiti, visit the N.C. Baptist Men web site: www.ncmissions.org.